


Chance Meeting

by Semi_Senioritis



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coffee Shops, Fluff, Libraries, M/M, POV Sugawara Koushi, Strangers to Lovers, The Lord of the Rings References, i think so, it is not relevant to the plot, theres like one lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 16:02:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29353155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semi_Senioritis/pseuds/Semi_Senioritis
Summary: Call it want you want. Destiny, coincidence, accidents... whatever it is, Sugawara is grateful for their chance meetings.
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16
Collections: OiSuga Valentines Exchange 2021





	Chance Meeting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ikarusvee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikarusvee/gifts).



> Hello!!
> 
> I'm so glad I was able to participate in this event, Oisuga means the world to me. Thank you to the moderators for organizing this all!
> 
> I was given a prompt written by Icee! You mentioned that you'd like things like libraries and coffee shops in your gift, so I hope this fic will live up to your expectations! I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you can enjoy reading it just as much. 
> 
> Happy Valentine's Day!! <3

The first time they met, Koushi didn’t think much of it.

It was unusual for him to run into people here, especially on a Friday evening like this, which admittedly was part of the reason he came here so often. But the library offered comfort. It wasn’t exactly what Koushi had expected when he was younger, that spending his weekends in a dusty old library would be the highlight of his college experience. But he didn’t mind. Weaving his way through the shelves of carelessly stacked books, he was starting to find the near abandoned study rooms to feel more like a home to him than his own dorm.

The idea that one day that solitude might be taken away from him hadn’t occurred to Koushi, never until now had he thought that someone might impose on his only promise of tranquility among the hectic balance of classes and work. So naturally, when he entered his usual study room with a few books in hand, he was a bit taken aback by the presence of a stranger, sitting at the little table in the center of the room.

But Koushi wasn’t going to give up his study room so readily. And while was aware that the mature thing to do was simply to see himself out, to read in one of the many empty rooms in the building, coming here weekly had been his routine since the semester began, and he would be lying if he said he wasn’t the slightest bit stubborn. 

And, more importantly, there was something about this stranger that made it hard for Koushi to leave. While it could’ve been the delicate way his warm, brown hair curled slightly upwards at the ends, or the notably confident way he held himself, that probably wasn’t the case. No, what really irked him was the slight challenge in the stranger’s behaviors.

Because, who the hell goes around challenging random people like that? Rarely would you come across someone so self-assured, so cocky, and that in itself should’ve been his first sign to pack up and spend the evening elsewhere. And yet…

The stranger didn’t acknowledge Koushi’s entrance beyond a slight wave as he stood in the threshold, staring at him for a few seconds longer than was likely appropriate. There was no doubt that he noticed the way Koushi faltered for a split second, now contemplating his next move as though this random guy’s impression of him mattered at all. Koushi couldn’t remember the last time anyone had this kind of effect on him, and that observation should’ve been the second sign telling him to give up on this room. But Koushi would be damned if he’d lose to the smirk on this man’s face. 

Now collecting himself, Koushi smiled as though he were meeting with an old friend, and not a complete stranger. He walked over to the table, hoping his movements looked more natural than they felt, and placed his stack of books at the seat directly across from where the stranger sat. It was a bold move, not one he’d usually make. Sure, if Koushi were a slightly more sensible person, he wouldn’t have made a point of doing something so daring. But seeing as he wasn’t, the stranger would just have to deal with Koushi’s presence, just as Koushi had to deal with him. 

It’s not like this would become a regular thing anyways, by next week his study room would be just that, his own study room once again. So really, there was no harm in messing around with the stranger for a bit.

As he sat down, Koushi didn’t miss the way the stranger’s frame tensed, even if just for a fraction of a second. For whatever reason, he was now set on eliciting a more prominent reaction from a man sitting across from him. Keeping his tone casual, Koushi now pushed his books to the side and asked, “What book are you reading?”

It was a stupid question, the title was glaringly obivous from the way the cover was titled slightly up, and the stranger knew it. “I know you can see the title,” he started, but put the book down anyways, and leaned ever so slightly into the center of the table, with a smile that confused Koushi more than it should’ve. “Do you approve of my choice? It’s my first time reading this.”

Of all the questions Koushi could have expected from the stranger, that was not one. His smile faltered now, for a split second, before turning into something that probably looked more genuine. “The Fellowship of the Ring? It's a great book, yeah,” Koushi frowned slightly now, eyebrows furrowing faintly, “but you should read The Hobbit first, if you haven’t. Hopefully, you’re not too far into this, and you can read the prequel first. It’s wonder full series-”

“I know!”

Koushi blinked, expressionless now at the cheerful grin on the stranger’s face. “What?”

“I knew you’d say you like this series,” before he could open his mouth to ask how this man he’s never met could be so sure of himself, the stranger continues, “look at your shirt.”

“Oh. Hah.”

Well, now Koushi just felt dumb. A very obvious Gandalf caricature was printed onto the front of his shirt, with the words ‘Fly, you fools!’ written above it. He felt his face heat up slightly, and prayed to whatever gods existed that it wasn’t visible, as part of his blush could likely be attributed to the way the stranger’s eyes lit up while he laughed. “How’d you know you’d meet someone who likes Lord of the Rings?” Koushi asked, as though there were any sort of logical answer to that. Unless the stranger was a clairvoyant. 

“I didn’t, silly,” he stopped laughing, but the flicker in his eyes remains, his gaze less challenging now. “But I’m glad I ran into a nerd like you, otherwise I wouldn’t have known I was reading this wrong!”

“Hey,” Koushi leaned in now, regaining his confidence. “There’s no way I’m being called a nerd by a guy who’s wearing a Star Wars t-shirt. At least I have taste.”

The man spluttered at that, and now Koushi was the one laughing at him. The moment passed after a few seconds, and now that the tense air around them had dissipated, Koushi was brought back to reality, the reality being that both of them had leaned farther over the table than he realized, now with only a few inches separating them. He leaned back quickly, the sudden closeness catching him off guard. The stranger did the same, now picking up his book once again and beginning to read. 

Minutes passed, and despite the silence that had fallen over them once again, Koushi felt himself longing for the comfortable way they had been tossing around playful insults a few minutes ago. And as time went on, it was getting increasingly obvious whenever the pair of soft brown eyes peeked over the top of the book to steal a glance at him. Abandoning his initial plans to spend yet another Friday afternoon reading alone, he closed his own book and chuckled. “What are you staring at me for? Do you like my Gandalf shirt that much?”

“No, it’s horrendous,” he stated dryly. “But you make it cute, so don’t worry! Anyways, I was thinking, you should show me where the book I’m missing is. Your presence is too distracting for me to be able to read anyways.”

“Is that a compliment?”

The stranger winked, the ends of his hair swishing with the movement. “Only if you want it to be, Kou-chan!”

How this guy could get even more confusing, Koushi didn’t know. “Where’d you learn my name from?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, before quickly adding, “And don’t call me that.”

“It’s written on your bookmark,” he tilted his head up, smug. “And I’m definitely calling you that from now on.”

“How annoying, no wonder you’re spending your Friday night alone at the library with a stranger,” Koushi snickered, no bite behind his words. “And now I need to know your name too, stranger.”

“Oikawa Tooru, be sure to give me a cute nickname!”

“Hmmm… no,” Koushi stood up now, amused by the way Oikawa stuck his tongue out at his refusal. How childish. “Let’s go get The Hobbit, since you’ve effectively pried my attention away from doing anything useful.”

Oikawa brightened at that, standing up and throwing an arm around Koushi’s shoulder as if they’d known each other for more than half an hour. “How kind of you! You really couldn’t resist my charm after all, could you?”

“Maybe I just want you to stop staring at me while pretending to read,” Koushi rolled his eyes. “But whatever makes you happy.”

Oikawa gasped, now dramatically flopping sideways to lean on Koushi entirely. “You didn’t deny anything, Kou-chan!”

It’s true, he didn’t. Having nothing clever to say to that, Koushi punches him in the shoulder, and for the second time this evening, their laughter is the only sound bouncing off the shelves of the serene, vacant library. 

…

The second time they met, it took Koushi a bit longer to process the interaction.

It was a Monday morning, only a few days after he ran into Oikawa at the library. He had spent the weekend alone, finishing homework and taking some time to rest. And if the memories from that Friday evening tainted his every waking thought and plagued his dreams, he’d never admit it. It was unreasonable to think this much about a stranger, for no reason other than they had gotten along easily.

Truthfully, Koushi hadn’t made many close friends since college started. Sure, he had some acquaintances that made him look forward to his classes, and he kept in touch with his old teammates, checking in on them regularly. But Oikawa was different, and though it was nothing more than a chance meeting, he hoped they’d find an opportunity to become better friends. He doubted it was too absurd a dream to think they’d run into each other again sometime soon. But that didn’t mean he’d expect Oikawa to show up to the coffee shop he worked at the very next Monday morning. 

Rarely did Koushi opt for morning shifts, he wasn’t the type to wake up earlier than he had to. But for reasons he couldn’t remember now, his coworker hadn’t been able to come in today, landing him the responsibilities of a barista at six in the morning. 

Koushi wasn’t surprised to see how busy the little shop was, despite the early hour, as there weren’t many coffee shops near their campus. He was absentmindedly taking orders, thankful for the experience he already had working at jobs similar to this. It allowed him to zone out a bit when the tasks got too mundane to keep him awake. About forty-five minutes into his shift, he received an order under the name ‘Tooru’, an order he couldn’t recall now.

He brewed the coffee, stirred in due amounts of cream and caramel to make a drink that seemed much too sweet to consume before seven am. It wasn’t until he turned around, holding the plastic cup and leaning over to the counter, when he realized ‘Tooru’ meant Tooru from the library, Tooru who he couldn’t stop thinking about these past two days. 

Meeting eyes with the brunette from across the shop, he offered a soft smile. It was different from those shared between the two back at the library, it wasn’t teasing or hiding any feelings of confusion. “Good morning, Oikawa! It’s nice to see you again.”

“Good morning to you too, Koushi-chan, I haven’t seen you around here before,” Oikawa replied, resting an elbow on the counter now. Koushi supposes the others could deal with the rest of the customers without his help for a while.

“I’m not usually here. It’s too early,” he yawned, as if to drive his statement home.

“Are you the type to take too long in the mornings to wake up properly? How cute.”

Pointedly refusing to dwell on the fact that Oikawa had called him cute twice now, he said, “I guess I am. I’ll wake up early if it means seeing you regularly though.”

At that, Oikawa laughs, and Koushi glowers at him. He knows he’s not this forward when he’s properly in his senses, but Oikawa wouldn’t know that, would he? They’d only spoken for a few hours before.

“Kou-chan, please don’t think so hard. I can practically see the gears turning in your head.”

Oikawa was in a fit of giggles now, and Koushi was finding it difficult to continue to scowl. “Just take your coffee and go,” he said, shoving the cup towards the other man, clearly not meaning his words. And if their hands brushed slightly against one another in the exchange, and if that alone managed to send Koushi’s heart racing, he’d never admit it. 

They stood there for a minute or so, just taking in one another. The sunlight leaking through the large windows, the sound of birds chirping just barely audible over the chatter of the bustling shop, the sweet scent of caramel and coffee wafting around them, it all suited Oikawa perfectly, like every moment was tailored to his very existence. 

The moment was cut short though, when a customer who was left waiting a bit too long called for him to take their order. Koushi looked apologetic, though their moment was nothing more than just that, a fleeting moment that the two of them got caught up in. That’s all.

“I have to go work now, unfortunately. I hope to see you around more often!”

“You too, Koushi-chan!” Oikawa turned around, waving and sending a twinkling grin his way. “It’s a shame we couldn’t talk much longer. Let’s wish for another chance meeting, okay?”

…

The third time they met was probably the weirdest.

It was the last lecture of the day, on a Thursday afternoon, just three days after their encounter in the coffee shop, and Koushi was having an incredibly hard time staying focused. It wasn’t his fault. From where he sat in the back of the lecture hall, while his professor droned on about some topic Koushi couldn’t be bothered to name. It was impossible for him to stay attentive. 

With an unfocused gaze, Koushi’s eyes darted around the lecture hall. It was one of the few classes where he didn’t know anyone, but now with nothing better to do, he searched through the mass of students, wondering if he might find someone new. And that was when he spotted it.

A head of chocolate brown hair, and very carefully swept locks that swished a little when he turned. And the best part was, he only sat a few rows in front of him! How hadn’t Koushi recognized him at the beginning of class?

Seeing as they still had a little over 20 minutes left of the lecture, Koushi slowly tore a page out of the back of his notebook, on which he scribbled his phone number. After a few seconds thought, he wrote underneath it, ‘Text me!! No more chance meetings!’ and crumpled the paper into a ball. Then, when his professor turned around, as precisely as he could without bringing attention to himself, he threw the paper ball, aiming straight for that head of perfect brown hair. 

The paper hit the back of Oikawa’s head, only slightly off center, but it did the job. Beaming at his accuracy, he watched intently as Oikawa whipped his head around, confused, and waved to him. Oikawa blinked, before a grin spread across his face and he turned around, flattening out the note. And with the knowledge that he’d (probably) get a text from Oikawa within the next few minutes, Koushi focused his gaze back onto his professor. 

Something about Oikawa Tooru really did make Koushi more bold, and honestly, he was thankful for it. 

…

The fourth time they met was not a chance meeting. 

It was Friday, only a week had passed since their first meeting. Since the day before, Koushi had been texting Tooru. Conversation flowed naturally, and Koushi was soon delighted to learn that the other man enjoys the use of kaomojis just as much as he does. They had planned for a date, at an adorable little ice cream parlor across the street from the library where fate had allowed them to cross paths for the first time. 

Koushi wasn’t too sure if where they were going now could be considered a date or not, but found himself excited anyways. So after his last lecture ended, he walked down the street to the tiny parlor, decorated with flickering neon lights while faint music played from inside. 

It was easy enough to find Tooru, seated at a booth in the back of the place, waving his arms above his head as if Koushi wouldn’t notice his presence from a mile away. He slid into the seat on the other side of the booth, mesmerized by the way that the pinks and greens of the neon lights decorating the walls sparkled and painted across Tooru’s pale complexion. They made small talk for a while, exchanging clever remarks and telling each other about their days. It was peaceful, Koushi felt at home, but eventually a silence fell over them, that neither of the two men were willing to break, until Tooru said, just above a whisper, “I think I could fall in love with you, Koushi.”

“Wow, Tooru. What a stupid thing to say,” Koushi laughed, despite the blood rushing to his face yet again. 

“Yeah? You’re probably right, it sounds awfully cheesy. It’s the truth though.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait and see then.” Koushi reached his hand across the table, resting it on top of Tooru’s. “I think I could fall in love with you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for everyone who read this fic! it means a lot, and i hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
